Visiting with Kathleen Gerdon Archer in Massachusetts

Sunday, October 09, 2011 , posted by Laura Roberts | (12) Comments

We met Kathleen Gerdon Archer  at her White Bird Gallery outside of Boston in an artist’s community this summer.   I was dawdling behind my husband at some other galleries and he cam rushing back to get me exclaiming that he found something that he thought I would really like.   He was absolutely right.

She was showing from  two of her series:  The Mapmaker’s Dream and Choice.  Here is what she has to say about Mapmaker’s Dream:

“Using the element of water, I tell a story that begins with water-filled abstract images which over time become clearer and end with subjects who are clearly visible, but enveloped in a light fog.

My intention is to obscure the line between painting and photography while documenting a change in my recent family history.

The titles are randomly applied sentence fragments from The Mapmaker's Dream by James Cowan.”

These are both large and small scale works.   I particularly love the large ones.

Here is what she has to say about Choice:

“This series of portraits depicts women wearing fabric that has special meaning to them. Some wear clothing from a deceased relative, others show gifts they received and still others used fabrics with a feel or color they loved. I asked them to cover their hair with the material. The images remove the usual signifiers of culture, nationality and and status requiring the viewer to imagine a new history.”

From left to right:  1.  Alison's Boyfriend's Gift from Ghana, 2.  Lucilda's Indian Sari from the Years She Lived There, 3.  Kellogg's Gift from Sara

These are beautifully executed and you can see stories in the womens’ eyes.   Please check out more of these “choices” on her website. 

Thank you for being such a gracious lady Kathleen!